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My
love and affinity for cabaret performance has its roots in
the folksong revival of the late 50¡¯s, early 60¡¯s.Upon
reflection it was these performances, this ethic, which was
really my introduction to cabaret (intimate
performance in smoke-filled rooms), for though the material
was ¡°folk song¡± the presentation was really theater;
when one listens to the music of that day as it was
presented under the dramatic lighting in those clubs (coffee
houses) you can hear it was very theatrical, polished, not
in a bad way (at least the best of it) but designed to hold
an audience, modulated in harmonic and dramatic interest as
the song wore on, to keep a carefully listening audience
intrigued. The best of these acts (Ian and Sylvia come to
mind) were truly scholars of this material, digging deep
into folk song tradition and archives to find the most
salient versions and then presenting them with the best
possible musicianship. It was show business but show
business with a heart and a great soul, with deep roots
in humanity and its stories.
And
of course there was the witty and/or informative repartee
that went on between the songs that truly marked these
performances as ¡°entertainment¡± in the best sense. However,
the style of cabaret that my little troupe ¡°Prisoners in
Paradise¡± got in to was
much more in line with its German predecessor from the
Weimer Republic ¨CSchall und Rauch, Die Katakombe, Kabaret
der Komiker - sketch
comedy, topical songs, monologues of a more political nature
(although these descriptions can certainly apply to at least
some of the material in that 60¡¯s coffee house repertoire)
Here
is a partial list of shows ¨C
¡°PRISONERS
IN PARADISE¡±
¡°PRISONERS IN PARADISE ¨C A NIGHT AT THE SANDPIPER¡±
¡°WHAT DO YOU PUT IN A BIG BOX?¡±
¡°THE VALENTINE SHOW¡±
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